Jets' Sauce Gardner questionable vs. Eagles with undisclosed illness
Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) covers New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (7)during the second half of the New England Patriots at the New York Jets on September 24, 2023. Credit: Lee S. Weissman/Lee S. Weissman
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The Jets’ chances of upsetting the undefeated Eagles took a potentially big hit on Friday when star cornerback Sauce Gardner missed practice with an undisclosed illness.
Gardner was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, which officially means there is a 50-50 chance he will play — and an equal chance that he will not.
Coach Robert Saleh, who spoke before Gardner was listed as questionable, said he expected him to play.
Cornerback D.J. Reed is out for a second straight game after failing to clear the NFL’s concussion protocols. Bryce Hall should start in his place.
Also added to the injury list on Friday was wide receiver and kick returner Xavier Gipson (ankle). He is listed as questionable.
The Jets’ special teams already are down standouts Justin Hardee and Brandin Echols, both of whom will be out with hamstring injuries.
Wide receiver Irvin Charles was added to the 53-man roster earlier in the week to help on special teams.
“Irv coming up is a big deal,” Saleh said. “So we’ve got some reinforcements.”
The Eagles have injury issues of their own. Standout rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter (ankle) and cornerback Darius Slay (knee) are out.
Carter, the ninth overall pick, leads Philadelphia (5-0) with 3½ sacks. Saleh called him “an uber-, uber-talented young man.”
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
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